Quebec government investing $4 million in edge computing firm

The government of Quebec is investing $4 million in Ormuco, a Montreal-based edge computing firm.

Ormuco is a large, leading global software company with clients across several industries. They work with established global technology such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise and ALSO Group, as well as with some of the world’s largest telecommunication companies.

The company writes that since the cloud, and all the data we store in it, is at a significant distance from the user, it isn’t possible to make real-time decisions. This is because the transfer of data from the device to the cloud is not immediate. The technology that solves this problem is edge computing. Its wide array of solutions overcome the physical challenges that cloud computing brings about, by offering an experience with significantly less latency (the time it takes to send information from point A to point B) and an increased capacity for transferring data at a higher speed.

Edge computing is computing that’s done at or near the source of data, geographically, instead of relying on the cloud at one of a dozen data centers to do all the work. It doesn’t mean the cloud will disappear, writes The Verge’s Paul Miller, but rather that the cloud is coming to you. This is because there isn’t much growth left in the cloud space. Almost everything that can be centralized has been centralized. Most of the new opportunities for the “cloud” lie at the “edge.”

Moreover, writes Ormuco, we’re currently undergoing one of the “greatest transformations of the present era” through advents like machine learning, augmented or virtual reality, video games and the Internet of Things. This transformation will only be possible with coupled use of 5G mobile networks and edge computing.

And, says the company, they’re posted to “become a global leader in the deployment of edge computing as the preferred solution for data processing, as the platform that accelerates the growth of solutions that will dramatically change the way we live today.”

The Quebec government believes their bet in Ormuco will establish Quebec as a fertile ground for the future of innovative and real-time based technologies such as AI, 5G, Machine Learning and Edge Computing.

“We are honored to contribute to this fantastic ecosystem the government is building to address the fast-growing demand for platforms that enable and foster innovative technologies. As edge computing is crucial to the development and processing of AI solutions, Ormuco will contribute to reinforcing Quebec’s reputation as an innovative AI hub,” said Ormuco’s CEO, Orlando Bayter.